Feeding and burning fine fuel.



W. D. WOOD.

FEEDING AND BURNING EINE FUEL.

APPLICATION FILED APR-I1, I9I4 Patented Apr. 4

IIIII UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

WALTB. D. Woon, o F-.NEW YORK, N. Y.

FEEDING BURNING FINE FUEL.

4 To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that, I, VALTER D. Woon, a

citizen of the United States, residing in the` borough and county of Richmond, city and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feeding and Burning Fine Fuel,'of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to the feeding andl livery nozzle that just the right amount of air for a predetermined quantity of fuel may be furnished at all times.v

The invention,l therefore, consists essen-4 tially in theconstruction, arr-a gement and combinationof parts, substantially as will be hereinafterdescribed and then more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying'drawing illustrating my invention, Figure. 1 is a top plan view of 'my improved mechanism fr feeding andl burning inefueL Fig. 21s a vertical sec-I tion `of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail view in partial section on the line a., a of Fig. 2. Fig. l is a cross section of the nozzle on the line b, I) of Fig. v1.

Similar characters of reference designate' corresponding parts throughout \-the different vfigures of the drawing.v

As the nvention concerns more especially the mixing chamber for commingling the fuel dust and air and the delivery nozzle which passes the same into the furnace, it will be unnecessary to describe at any length the mechanical arrangement kaccompanying the mixing chamber and the delivery nozzle, and it will be suflicient for my present pui'- poses to point out that'l designates a fuel4 locomotive tender or other place,-

bin on a while v2 denotes the wall ofthe firebox 'of the furnace in which the powdered fueli-s to be used. The fuel `is withdrawn from the bin 1 b v means of a feed screw 2, hav-` ing a shaft 3, and working within a housing 4. The latter is provided with a discharge L outlet which drops the fuel -into a funnel- 6, by which it is carrie-d into a circular j Specification of Letters Patent.

chamber 7 Said chamber 7 vreceives a vbla-st of lair through a nozzle 8 coming from a fan 9, whose shaft 10 has thereon a pulley V1l which is driven by any suitable power.

In order to conveniently connect the fan and .feed screw for joint operation, the shaft l0 is provided with a worm 12, which engages and drives a worin gear Wheel 13 on a shaft let having a pinion 15 that meshes with a gear wheel 16 on shaft 3 of the feed screw 2. Thus it will be seen that the rate ofievo. lutionof the feed screw may be made to correspond with the rate of rotation of the fan, and consequently a proper. proportioningof the quantity ,of fuel delivered may be made with respect to the 'blast of air which fis driven into the mixing chamber 7 and brought in contact. with the fine dust therein.

I lay stress upon the circular mixing chamber 7 and the air inlet nozzle S as novel. and useful features, and which are particularly serviceable where it is impossible or inconvenient to provide an air supplyjjseparate and independent from kthe fan blast for Aintroduction into the mixingchamber -to create an agitation of the material therein. This air inlet 8 is curved and has a contracted deliveryi opening which is preferably situated close to the perimeter of the chamber in order that it may create a circumferential draft or current of air that will whirl around through the chamber, (as shown by the arrows) and catch all the dust therein, breaking up aggregations or lumps,

and thoroughly mixing the powdered vfuel and the air. To the discharge of the fan 9, or integral therewith, is a pipe 17 yeXtendin toward the iirebox 2 and having its enV open and flared at 18 to decrease the velocity of the-air and fuel as it enters the furnace. 'Il'he'niain blast of air generated by the fan 9 is carried .onward through the pipe 17 into the firebox, but this blast is subdivided by reason ofthe curved nozzle 8.whicli enters the mixing chamber, as I have already stated. for said nozzle is Ksecured to the inside of the pipe 173 andLhasits inner end open toward the fan to receive a portion of the air current from said fan.l Its aircurrent, therefore2 splits up finto two parts, the

.larger continuing onward through the pipe 17 while the smaller is caught by the short nozzle pipe 8 and carried thereby onward from the pipe- 17 into the chamber 7, as is clearly indicated in Fig. 2. The

nnozzle 8 may be shorter or longer and curved y Patented Apr. 4, 1916. Application filed April 17, 1914. Serial No. 832,523. i l

to" at greater or less extent, and :the ends thereof,'while open,`mayvary relatively in -size as preferred, and other details of the structure may cha-nge, but the essential fea-- ture thereof consists in the provision of a short supplemental pipe that will catch a portion ofthe air blast generated by the fan land carry it to the mixing chamber where it jects through the opening 19, does not close the same, and there is plenty of room around the nozzle 8 to allow of the passage ofthe dust and air downward into the pipe 17.

The flaring air pipe 17 enters the end of a cylinder 20, which is properly constructed to receive it. Said cylinder is of larger diameter than the flaring end 18 of pipe 17, and is connected to the iirebox 2 with a close and tight iit. The fuel-laden air driven through the end of the pipe 17 into the cyl# inder 20 passes from cylinder 20 on into the firebox. The propelling air blast, however, is only expected to serve the purpose offorcing the fuel to the irebox and not to supply combustion air for the fuel. The latter air is added to the dust-laden current within the nozzle cylinder "20 through the lateral openings 22 in cylinder 20, which openings may be directly to the atmosphere, or otherwise as desired. Theyare controlled in the present example of my invention, by means of a valve ring 21 provided with a handle 24, and operating within'guides 23. The valve ring 21 surrounds the cylinder 20 and is furnished with openings 25 which register vwith the openings 22 when the valve is open, and thus atmosphericair is admitted to the interior of the nozzle cylinder 20T By turn-v ing the handle 24 in one direction, the openings 25 and 22 are thrown into register so that combustion air is admitted to the nozzle, and' by throwing said handle 24 in an opposite direction,"said openings are thrown out of register, so that the entrance of combustion' air is cut olf. It will be noted, however, that` the combustion air need not come directly into the nozzle cylinder 20r from the atmosphere, but there are cases where it may arrive at the nozzle from some source giving a forced draft. Thus, for instance, by reference to Fig. 4:, it will be noted that there is a pipe 26 coming from a fan or blower of some kind and delivering4 air into the branches 29 which lead to the air inlet openings 22 in t'llienozzle 20. These branches 29 are provided' with valves 28 which operate '-in connectiongwith the openings 30 leading 'directly' to the atmosphere.4 When these Valves are placed in a horizontal position, as

shown in dotted lines in Fig. l, then the air can enter the nozzle 2O directly from the atmosphere through the openings 22, but when the openings 30 are closed by placing the valves 28 in a vertical position, as they are shown in F ig. l, then the forced draft through thelpipes 26 and 29 are called into action after the opening of valve or gate 2T. Thus it will be seen that combustion air can be supplied in. various different ways to he added to the carrying air and thus enable a suflicient quantity of air and fuel to be delivered to the furnace to bring about the required combustion therein. The nozzle em? ployed here is, therefore. a duplex nozzle comprising essentially a larger cylinder having a valve device for admitting additional air to serve as combustion air, and a smaller carrying passage of less diameter which projects into the said cylinder and delivers thereto a quantity of commingled air and dust whichis ready for the furnace as soon as the proper measure of combustion air has been supplied.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim .as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a mechanism for feeding and burning powdered fuel, the combination with a fan or blower, of a; mixing chamber having an opening at the bottom,av pipeleading from said fan or blower for receiving the fan blast together with the mixture from the mixing chamber` which enters the said pipe through the said bottom opening and is carried forward in the pipe under pressure, and a curved nozzle secured within the said pipe with its inner end opentoward the fan to receive a portion of the air current from said fan, said nozzle projecting through the bottom vopening ofthe mixing chamber upwardly into the latter. and having a contracted delivery opening close to the perimeter of said chamber'in order that it may create a circumferential draft or current within the chain'ber; I

2., In a mechanism for feeding and burn'? ing powderedfuel, the combination with a fan and a feed device, of -a circularl mixing chamberlhaving a bottom discharge` opening', a' pipe leading from the discharge `of the fan to the furnaceand located below the discharge opening of the'mixing chamber so as to receive therefrom the commingled dust and air, and a curved nozzle-supported in the said pipefor receiving a portion of the blast of air and` 'delivering it withinthe mixing chamber along the curved wall thereof fan or blower, a mixing chamberhaving a bottom discharge opening, apassage leading from said fan or blower and receiving the. commingled air and coal from the discharge openingv in the mixing chamber, andr a curved nozzle supported in the passage and projecting through the discharge opening 4 ofthe mixing' chamber into the latter, there bemg room left around the lnozzle to allow.

of the passage of dust and air downward into the said pipe, said curved nozzle having its inner end open toward the fan to receive a portion of the air current from saidfan, which air current is thus split into two parts, one continungonward through the -larger passage tvo/the furnace, andthe other lbeing carried upwardly -into the mixing chamber, a passage leading from the fan andv from the mixing chamber for carrying thecommingled air and fuel, said passage ,have ing a flaring discharge mouth, an inclosing cylinder around said discharge mouth for constituting therewith a duplexl nozzle, and means for admitting combustion 4air into said inclosing cylinder to be addedto the carrying current.

5. In a mechanism for feeding and burnmg fine fuel, the combination with a mixing chamber, of a fan, a passage for delivering.

an air blastfrom said fan'into the mixing chamber, a passage leading from the fan and from the mixing chamber for carrying the commingled air and fuel, said passageha-ving a flaring discharge mouth, 'an inclosing cylinder' around said discharge for constituting therewith `a duplex nozzle, and meansf'or .admitting combustion air into said inclosling cylinder to be added to the carrying cur[ rent, said means consisting of a manually? operated valve. y 6. In a device of the class described, the combination with a mixing chamber, of a a passage or pipe flaring at -its discharge end so as to reduce the velocity of the fuel and air therein, said pipe carrying a commingled mixture of fuel and air'under pressure from a constant source of sup! ply, a. cylinder surrounding the flaring discharge end of said pipe and of greater diameter than the former, said cylin-4 der having lateral openings whose centers are on the line with the flaring end pf'said pipe,.` and a manually-operated -apertured ring surrounding said cylinder and having the function of admitting combustion air.

7. In a device of the class described, the combination with a mixing chamber, of a fan, a pipe or passage flaring at its discharge end so as to reduce the velocity of the fuel andair therein, ysaid pipe conveyinga current of air and fuel under pressure from some constant source of supply, a cylinder of larger diameter surrounding the .dis-

charge end of said pipe and having lateraly opemngs for combustion.v air,- the centers of which'lopenings lie vin a plane with the-end of said flaring pipe, and a suitable valveprovided pipe system for admitting air under pressure into the said cylinder.

8, In a device of the class described, the combination with a mixing chamber, of a fama pipeliaring at its discharge end to reducey the velocity of the Ipulverized fuel and -air therein, said pipe conveying a current of air and fuel under pressure from some constant source of supply, a cylinder of larger diameter surrounding the discharge end of said pipe and havinglateral openings for combustion air, `and a suitable valve-provided pipe system for admitting air under pressure -in the said cylinder, said system having a gate valve for controlling the sup ply and having also valves adapted to be shut olf to stop the supply and to admit atmospheric air directlytothe cylinder.

9. In fa device of the class described, a mixing chamber of circular form, a fan or blower for creating an air blast, a pipe on which the mixing chamber is mountedv and which receivesthe fan blast, together with the mixture which isfed thereinto from the mixing chamber through a bottom opening inithe latter, said pipe' carrying forward the mi ture under pressure, and a curved nozzle supported within said pipe and projecting upwardly into the mixing chamber through the bottom opening therein for receiving a portion of the said air blast from the said fan or blower and delivering vit into the mixing chamber along the. wall thereof so as to create. a whirling 'agitation and mixing, and means for supplying combustion air to the carrying current at a point contiguous in the' presence of twowitnesses.

witnesses; ,l

'- ELMER J.` AUs'rIN,

. E. M. BRYMAN.

' WALTER D. Woon 

